Struck against moving part of machinery or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Pilgrim's Pride, 898 Barber St., ATHENS, GEORGIA 30601
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was removing a piece of chicken from the halver machine and sustained an amputation to the left index fingertip under the nail.
An employee was getting ready to shut down an overwrap machine when it had a problem with one of the packages. The employee attempted to grab the package and the device that cuts off the wrap severed the tip of the employee's right middle finger.
Maintenance employees were working on the leg quarter conveyor belt. They made and placed a steel bracket/guide above a chain like belt where it made a 20-30 degree bend around a corner to prevent the belt from popping off. While the belt was running, the injured employee saw there was a rough edge on top of the bracket/guide, so the employee reached to feel the top of the bracket/guide and his hand was pinched between the belt and the guide. His left thumb was amputated above the knuckle.
An employee was operating a strip saw. As the employee shut off the saw, their right index and middle fingertips were amputated by the blade before it came to a complete stop.
An employee was using a table saw to cut a piece of wood for wall framing. The wood jumped, causing the employee's hand to move toward the saw, amputating their left index finger and causing a laceration on their hand.
An employee was operating a trim saw. While trying to free a jammed board she had just cut, she came into contact with the running saw blade, which amputated her right thumb.
An employee was unloading a forklift from a trailer to the ground. The employee was climbing down the ladder of the trailer when their foot slipped through one of the rungs, causing them to fall backward onto the forklift forks. The employee was hospitalized for fractured ribs.
An employee was troubleshooting a thigh deboner on a poultry processing line. As he worked to dislodge a thigh bone caught in the blade mechanism, the machine amputated the first and second digits on his left hand. He was hospitalized.
On September 25, 2025, an employee was exiting a yard truck. They slipped and fell approximately 3 feet from the top tread of the steps to the concrete below. The employee sustained a fractured left hip.
An employee was operating a stand-up forklift, picking product for an order. The forklift struck a metal rack and the employee's left arm was caught between the forklift and the rack. He was hospitalized with a fracture to the neck of his radius and an open fracture to the olecranon (elbow).
An employee was helping to lift the grating from a floor draining system when the grating slipped and landed on his hand, resulting in the amputation of his right middle finger at the first joint.
During a workshop meeting in a hotel, an employee heard a drilling noise, so he walked outside to see what it was. An explosion occurred (possible gas line) and his face, ear, and hair were burned. He also fell and sustained a pelvic fracture.
An employee was using a tool to remove a rag from a roll on the tube mill. The roll pulled the tool and the employee's right hand into the roll, resulting in a partial amputation of the little finger and a fracture to the index finger.